Ali Sabry steps down as Finance Minister

Newly-appointed Finance Minister Ali Sabry has stepped down from his position a day after his appointment.

His appointment as the Finance Minister came after the entire Cabinet of Ministers resigned from their respective portfolios on Sunday (April 03).

In his letter of resignation sent to the President, Sabry said it was not his intention to take up any post after he tendered his resignation from the post of Justice Minister on April 03.

“However, in order to maintain parliamentary democracy and the stability of the system and constitutional governance, in light of the multitude of requests made by the business community, professionals and some of my cabinet colleagues, I decided to accept the post of the Minister of Finance only as an interim measure until a suitable, full-time sustainable solution could be found.”

Sabry says, after much reflection and deliberation, and taking into account the present situation, he is of the view that fresh, proactive and unconventional steps need to be taken, including the appointment of a new Finance Minister, to make suitable arrangement to navigate the ongoing crisis.

“In order to facilitate such an appointment, I hereby tender my resignation from the post of the Minister of Finance with immediate effect,” he added.

He also expressed his willingness to step down his parliamentary seat, if the President wishes to appoint a person suitable to handle the situation outside the current parliament.

Prior to his resignation today, Sabry, in his capacity as the Finance Minister, presented the International Monetary Fund’s report on Sri Lanka to the parliament this morning.

After the Cabinet of Ministers tendered their letters of resignation, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed four ministers to maintain the affairs of the Parliament and other functions of the country legitimately and stably until a full Cabinet is appointed.

Accordingly, Prof. G.L. Peiris was sworn in as the Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry as the Finance Minister, Johnston Fernando as the Minister of Highways and Dinesh Gunawardena as the Education Minister.

These ministers were appointed as there is a need to appoint a Leader of the House and a Chief Government Whip for the functioning of the Parliament and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance, the PMD explained in a statement.